If you own or lease a shop with a street awning in North Sydney, Crows Nest, Neutral Bay, Kirribilli or anywhere else in the North Sydney Council area, this guide explains what council expects, when you need approval, and how to keep your awning safe and compliant. We carry out awning repairs across Sydney, including right across the Lower North Shore.
Which Areas Does North Sydney Council Cover?
North Sydney Council covers the harbourside suburbs between the Harbour Bridge and Middle Harbour, including North Sydney, Crows Nest, St Leonards (part), Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Cammeray, Kirribilli, Milsons Point, McMahons Point, Lavender Bay, Waverton and Wollstonecraft.
Main shopping strips with street awnings include Military Road through Neutral Bay and Cremorne, Willoughby Road in Crows Nest, Miller Street and Berry Street in the North Sydney CBD, Blues Point Road in McMahons Point and Kirribilli Village. If your shop is just over the boundary, see our Willoughby Council or Lane Cove Council guides instead.
Who Is Responsible for a Street Awning?
Even though a street awning hangs over a council footpath, the building owner is responsible for keeping it safe. The NSW Government’s Planning Circular BS 13-001 makes this clear and recommends that awnings more than 10 years old are inspected by a professional engineer. Many awnings along Military Road, Willoughby Road and the older harbourside villages are well past that age.
Where a shop is leased, the lease usually sets out whether the owner or tenant pays for awning work, but council will look to the owner if the awning becomes unsafe. In strata buildings, the awning is normally common property, so the owners corporation is responsible. Our strata and commercial awning guide covers this in more detail.
Do You Need Council Approval?
- Like for like repairs and maintenance such as replacing rusted tie rods, fixing leaks, repairing soffit linings or repainting are generally treated as maintenance, but any work from the footpath still needs the right approvals for the work zone (see below).
- A new awning, or replacing an awning with a different design generally needs development consent or a complying development certificate. Awnings over a public footpath are usually not exempt development.
- Heritage items and conservation areas need extra care. North Sydney has several heritage conservation areas, and changes to original shopfronts and awnings there are assessed closely.
North Sydney’s current development control plan sets the design rules for awnings in its commercial centres, and planning controls for centres such as Crows Nest have long expected continuous awnings along shopfronts. Because the rules change and every site is different, always confirm with North Sydney Council before starting new work. Our guides to council approval for shop awnings and awning height and footpath rules explain the general approach.
Working Over the Footpath
Any awning work that occupies the footpath, such as scaffolding, a scissor lift, barricades or a crane, needs approval under the Roads Act 1993 from North Sydney Council as the road authority. Military Road and the Pacific Highway are major State roads, so work there may also involve Transport for NSW. Allow time for these approvals and make sure your contractor provides traffic and pedestrian management.
Outdoor Dining Under Your Awning
Crows Nest, Neutral Bay, Kirribilli and McMahons Point all have busy café and restaurant strips. North Sydney Council requires a permit before you place tables, chairs or goods on the footpath, assessed against its outdoor dining and goods display policy and planning controls. Council’s requirements include public liability insurance of at least $10 million, or $20 million on State roads, along with an application fee, an annual rental fee and a bond. Check council’s website for the current fees. A sound, well maintained awning makes your outdoor dining area far more usable in summer sun and winter rain. Our café and restaurant awnings guide has more ideas.
Common Awning Problems on the Lower North Shore
- Salt air corrosion in harbourside suburbs like Kirribilli, Milsons Point, McMahons Point and Neutral Bay, which speeds up rust on tie rods, brackets and frames. See our guide to rusted tie rods.
- Bus and truck strikes along Military Road and the Pacific Highway, which can bend fascias and damage hanger rods.
- Grime and blocked gutters from heavy traffic and street trees, which stain soffits and cause leaks.
- Ageing heritage awnings in the older villages, often with hidden corrosion behind original linings.
- More foot traffic around the Crows Nest and Victoria Cross metro stations, which makes safe, well kept awnings even more important for nearby shops.
Our 7 warning signs your shop awning needs repair explains what to look out for.
What If Council Sends You a Notice?
If North Sydney Council inspects your awning and finds it unsafe, it can issue a notice or order requiring you to repair or remove it. Do not ignore it. Contact council, organise an engineer’s inspection and get repair quotes early. Our guides to council awning safety orders and how awning engineering certification works walk through the process.
Checklist for North Sydney Shop Owners
- Find out how old your awning is and whether it has ever been certified by an engineer.
- If it is over 10 years old, arrange an engineer’s inspection.
- Check the tie rods, gutters, fascia and soffit at least once a year, and after big storms.
- Keep copies of approvals, reports and certificates with your building records.
- Talk to North Sydney Council before replacing or changing an awning, especially in a heritage area.
- Check your lease or strata by-laws so you know who pays for awning work.
Awning Repairs Across the Lower North Shore
We work on shop awnings across North Sydney, Crows Nest, Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Kirribilli and the surrounding suburbs, from tie rod replacement and leak repairs to new commercial awnings and engineer coordinated certification. See our North Shore awning repairs page, or contact us to book a free on-site inspection.